Monday, September 28, 2015

From Live for Music (9/03/15):More than a decade ago, a bevy of musical legends joined forces on stage to help honor George Harrison's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In what could be considered one of the most remarkable Rock Hall induction ceremony performances of all time, Prince, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne and George's son Dhani Harrison took the stage in 2004 to perform an incredibly powerful rendition of The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Prince's solo is just out of this world, concluding with him mysteriously tossing his guitar into the air.

Friday, September 25, 2015

... and thereby encourages us to do better

Pope Francis challenges political leaders by his commitment to the Gospel of Christ and Catholic social teaching. His embodiment of the church’s “preferential option for the poor” often upends the accepted social and economic structures of our day. Yet this Pope brings such hope wherever he goes and whenever he speaks, largely due to his pastoral approach.

That pastoral manner was evident yesterday when the Holy Father addressed a joint session of congress. He made a point in his opening remarks that though he was speaking to congress; his intent was to address the American people. His written work makes clear his stand on unfettered capitalism, care for the environment, care for the poor, and regard for all of life. Instead of lambasting, however, he was able to encourage a conflicted and strident nation by pointing out what was right about our country. (You can read the entire address here)

Pope Francis outlined his remarks to congress within the framework of four American lives: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton.

Abraham Lincoln, “the guardian of liberty, who labored tirelessly that 'this nation, under God, might have a new birth of freedom'. Building a future of freedom requires love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity.”

Martin Luther King who led the march “from Selma to Montgomery fifty years ago as part of the campaign to fulfill his 'dream' of full civil and political rights for African Americans… Dreams which lead to action, to participation, to commitment. Dreams which awaken what is deepest and truest in the life of a people.”

Dorothy Day for “her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed.”

Thomas Merton “who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the Church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions.”

Three sons and a daughter of this land, four individuals and four dreams: Lincoln, liberty; Martin Luther King, liberty in plurality and non-exclusion; Dorothy Day, social justice and the rights of persons; and Thomas Merton, the capacity for dialogue and openness to God. Four representatives of the American people.

The Pope’s address to congress did speak to the social, economic, political, and environmental challenges of our day. He encouraged us to do more, yet even with the many challenges ahead, he was able to place those within the context of our better angels, affirming that we have rejected the temptation to imitate tyrants in our attempt to be freed from tyranny.

A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms. But there is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners. The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps. We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place. That is something which you, as a people, reject.

Our response must instead be one of hope and healing, of peace and justice. We are asked to summon the courage and the intelligence to resolve today’s many geopolitical and economic crises. Even in the developed world, the effects of unjust structures and actions are all too apparent. Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples. We must move forward together, as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for the common good.

There can be no denying that this was a historic occasion in our nation’s capital. Some observers commented that they had never seen congress pay such close attention to any other person addressing that body. Let us hope that some sense of a striving for the common good will remain. Certainly those of us who take heart in efforts for justice and equity will be encouraged by this pastoral visit from Pope Francis. Near the end of his address, the Pope reminded us of the examples he set out at the beginning:

A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fosters a culture which enables people to “dream” of full rights for all their brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton.

After his address to congress, Pope Francis highlighted yet another thing we are doing right by forgoing lunch with politician in order to dine with the homeless outside St Patrick’s Catholic Church where Catholic Charities offers food and shelter for the homeless.

Pope Francis with people at St. Maria's Meals Program ofCatholic Charities in Washington D.C. (CNS photo by Paul Haring)

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

When
I was in elementary school, sometimes I would walk places with my father. We might
walk down the road to town, or walk down to the fish pond below our house.
Sometimes I would look down and see his shadow. I would try to make my steps land within the shadow of his steps as we walked along. Though he died nineteen
years ago, I still find myself trying to watch the shadow of his steps, as it
were, as I examine my life to see how I’m doing. A couple of years ago, I wrote
a poem about my father at 58 as I took time to evaluate my own life at the age of 58. This
week I decided to do a similar thing since 60 seems to be a natural time to
take stock of one’s life. I am sharing that first poem, “My Father at 58,”
followed by a new one, “My Father at 60.”

Monday, September 21, 2015

Some of the purest and most authentic art arises from a place of pain, as is illustrated by Leonard Cohen's marvelous "Hallelujah" performed here by Lind, Nilsen, Fuentes, Holm. This song strikes a deep chord because we are all baffled kings singing broken hallelujahs.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Hildegard of Bingen, whose feast day is today (September 17) is sometimes referred to as the patron saint of creativity. She has also been known as the patron saint of the culinary arts, having written many recipes including her "Cookies of Joy" recipe for "reducing bad humors" and "fortifying the nerves." Actually she is not an official patron saint of anything, which may be a good thing because to think of Hildegard merely as a “patron saint” is to gloss over her profound capabilities and influence.Hildegard of Bingen was a polymath – an individual highly gifted in a variety of fields.
She was skilled in the healing arts, having written two books on pharmaceutical
herbs and the workings of the body. Her written works include theology, ethics,
and biblical commentary. In addition, she composed music and wrote poetry. She
was a visionary who brought religion, science, and art together.

St. Hildegard has a wide range of admirers today. She was recently been named a
Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI (there are only 35 Doctors of the Church to date, and only four women).
She is also of interest to feminist scholars and many in the New Age
movement. She claimed her knowledge came
from divine visionary experiences, which may have lent credence to her words at
a time when women had little voice. She challenged institutional
corruption in the church and spoke out for social justice. There is even
renewed interest in Hildegard’s music, with several modern recordings featuring
her works.A Pivotal Age

The
Twelfth Century was a very dynamic period and St. Hildegard was right there in
the thick of it, having lived from 1098 to 1179. Indeed, it was a pivotal time
of shaking off many of the old ways and taking up new forms. Perhaps it is no
wonder that the saint from Bingen is attracting more attention in our day when old forms are not working and our institutions which were developed during the Industrial Revolution are languishing and becoming ineffectual.

One
example of how Hildegard’s understanding grew and developed as a result of her
visionary mystical experiences is seen in the following quote in which she
describes one of her visions:

"Listen: there was
once a king sitting on his throne. Around Him stood great and wonderfully
beautiful columns ornamented with ivory, bearing the banners of the king with
great honor. Then it pleased the king to raise a small feather from the ground,
and he commanded it to fly. The feather flew, not because of anything in itself
but because the air bore it along. Thus am I, a feather on the breath of
God."

May
we all come to see ourselves being borne up and empowered by the very breath of
God. For people who want to celebrate a variety of life expressions, for those
who seek to participate in creativity, and for all of us who live in this pivotal age, it is good to spend some time
today with such an incredible polymath as Hildegard of Bingen.

Monday, September 14, 2015

I first heard this song by Barry McGuire when I was a college student. It was on the live double album, "To the Bride," which featured Barry McGuire and The 2nd Chapter of Acts in concert. It was an energetic album, yet this quiet number was definitely a highlight of the concert.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Recently, I came across the documentary, Sunrise/Sunset, by Russian filmmaker, Vitali Manski. It is an interesting look at a day in the life of His Holiness the Dalia Lama. I caught is on Netflix, but it is also available for free viewing at Culture Unplugged.com. I found it to be interesting, as I do anything about the Dalai Lama. Near the end of the film, however, I was intrigued by the "cameo appearance" of a dog who wandered by. I did a screen shot to catch that moment when you can still see the dog at the bottom left as the Dalai Lama is coming down the stairs. I was delighted to see that there was a dog at the Dalai Lama's house. I tried to imagine the interaction between His Holiness and his dog, and came up with the following poem.